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I still remember looking at my then-partner when I said, “How about I call it ‘Frugaling’?” We both looked at each other with instant excitement — this was the perfect name for my digital home. I started with modest goals: write about debt, save some money, and make more.

After weeks and months of difficult conversations and self-doubt around the rapid amount of debt I was amassing, I decided to open up about my journey. Even more, I wanted to share the struggles of the indebted: stress, headaches, and constant worry about what might happen if I couldn’t pay it back.

Years have passed since I wrote my first article. I’ve been humbled by the millions who have clicked and shared and followed in the process. And as the readership grew, so did my bank account. Now, I will graduate my doctoral program with a positive net worth. By writing about my efforts, I was accountable to thousands of people — I couldn’t let you all down.

As graduate school has ramped up, it’s been difficult for me to write with regularity. My brain and keystrokes have been focused on research articles and the massive dissertation requirement for graduation. Shortly after the demands of school captured all my attention, Pauline, a fantastic personal finance writer, approached me with an offer for this site.

With the opportunity to sell the site, save some money, and continue to work on graduate school, I saw this as a perfect opportunity for Frugaling to live on for many more years to come. Pauline will skillfully write about personal finance and continue a wonderful legacy. But for me, I’m off to ensure I graduate on time and get a job — finally!

Thanks for being with me all these years. I couldn’t have kept up the momentum without you. I’m forever indebted to you, the reader.

Jason Vitug is the founder of Phroogal.com. He worked in the financial services industry for nearly a decade before he founded Phroogal. His website features a host of personal finance tools and a specialized search engine for financial knowledge. On top of starting this resource, he also maintains a popular blog, too. Jason’s definitely one of the top personal finance writers on the Internet. Thanks, Jason!

I worked in financial services industry for close to a decade — most recently as an executive for a credit union in Silicon Valley. It was the years working in banking and exposure to the technology startup world in the Silicon Valley that converged to bring life to Phroogal.

At the credit union, I was responsible for raising awareness to the benefits of credit union membership and I strongly felt financial education would be a key differentiation. I traveled around the country and championed workplace financial literacy at various Fortune 500 companies.

Afterwards, I decided to take a break and clear my mind. I chose to travel. I ended up backpacking around the world for 12 months. I explored 20 countries in 12 months in 2012. It was in my sixth country on top of this 8th century temple: I thought, “I’m living my dream. Why was I the only one here?”

Eventually, as I continued to travel, I wrote down ideas. The epiphany I had on top of the temple began to make sense. It wasn’t about the amount of money one had — it was how one used money to live life rich. It boiled down to education. The more you know about personal finance the better financial decisions are made to support one’s dream. Then, I set out to change that and build Phroogal.

How did people (friends, family, etc.) react when you first started?

My family and close friends were very supportive. They’ve seen me achieve many of my goals; such as, finishing my MBA, becoming an executive before the age of 30, and backpacking around the world.

They were excited that I wanted to finally do something on my own that had significant potential to help millions of people including them. Additionally, my old coworkers were very supportive. They cheered me on when I announced what I was doing.

What was your experience with design, code, web work prior to starting your site?

I’ve dabbled in websites before, but had limited knowledge of HTML. However, in my professional career I was part of many projects that involved application development. My job at the credit union exposed me to design elements, more HTML programming, general user experience, and interface design. Marketing and business development fell under my supervision and it was important for me to understand the full capabilities of program languages and design to get the most optimal results on marketing campaigns. I taught myself and participated in as many free webinars. At first to learn the lingo; eventually, to know what was possible.

What advice would you give to those thinking about starting their own site?

It takes a lot of time and preparation to get it right. But, getting it right doesn’t matter if you don’t start.

Have a vision. It’s also important to develop the mission and set the goals of your website. Understand the problem you are trying to fix and the solution you’re offering. Then, start thinking about how you’re going to execute on that solution and what features or tools are needed. How you go about realizing your vision will change so be open to different opportunities. You’ll discover what your target market actually wants and a better way to deliver it.

Work hard and then work harder. It’s not a “set it and forget it” or “if you build it they will come.” It’s not going to be easy, but it can be as rewarding as you want it to be.

How do you make money from your site?

Currently, we aren’t making money from the website. I have a long term vision I am working towards. I had the opportunity to monetize the website because of the traffic we have but it began to take us off our mission.

My mission is to solve financial incapability and illiteracy. I don’t want to make a quick buck and take me off course. For now, the focus is to grow the knowledge base and users.

Jason enjoys a beautiful white sand beach, while drinking from a coconut and eating mangos. Amazing!

What do you think you’ve learned from your readers and fans?

Our community really loves reading personal stories around money. I started out blogging by answering questions without much personal anecdotes. I thought quick, short answers would suffice but people remember stories and they can take the most important pieces and incorporate into their personal situations.

How can somebody in lower incomes best overcome financial hurdles and prosper?

Having less income has more challenges but increasing that income doesn’t change financial situations. It only grows accordingly. When I was traveling around the country I would meet production employees making less than $40,000 a year who owned their home, had savings and no debt. On the other side, I would meet senior level folks who made $250,000 a year but was in debt for $600,000. So, who is wealthy?

The best piece of advice is become more knowledgeable about money today. Don’t wait till the “when I have more money” moment. Good financial habits lead to better decisions and better opportunities.

Who are your financial role models?

I grew up listening to Suze Orman. I liked her in your face and dramatic flair for money. As I grew older, I started listening to everyday people I would meet at my retail banking job. Everyone had some sort of financial situation or advice that I learned from and carry on till this day.

I’ve kind of learned hard lessons and took in whatever people shared with me. When it comes to investing, I look up to Warren Buffet’s philosophy by investing in things I understand. With philanthropy, I look up to Bill Gates in his mission on education and giving back.

What personal finance sites do you read?

I read a bunch of personal finance blogs. I think about 20 that I actively read and at times comment. On occasion I’ll read Daily Finance, Reuters or USNews. But, I’ve found my twitter feed to be a great source of discovering what’s trending today and what my connections are buzzing about.

What else would you care to share with the readers of Frugaling?

I want to leave off with saying how important it is to seek knowledge. Knowledge never gets old. It evolves. It’s really important to make sure your constantly seeking information that can better your situation. The first step in becoming more knowledgeable is by asking questions. They don’t even have to be the right questions to begin with but the more you do the more you begin to understand.

LaTisha Styles founded a popular website called Young Finances. Since 2010, she has become an Investment Analyst, entrepreneur, and was featured in a variety of publications. Here’s my interview with her. Thanks again, LaTisha!

I started Young Finances because I graduated college in 2010 and I was having a hard time finding a job. I had a degree in Finance and learned a lot about the correct way to manage personal finances after recovering from several bad decisions I made with my money. I decided to start writing about what I learned to help other young adults.

How did people (friends, family, etc.) react when you first started? How long have you been blogging?

Almost all of my friends were supportive. I used to share each post on Facebook and I got a lot of good feedback and encouragement. I started the site in December of 2010, but I have been blogging much longer. I started an e-zine when I was 14 and I just found an old issue! It was such a blast from the past.

What was your experience with design, code, web work prior to starting your site?

I graduated with a business degree, and had to learn the basics of HTML and CSS in our business information systems class. We had a group project that involved creating a single page website from scratch using Dreamweaver. I later taught myself more using W3 Schools to understand the basics of PHP and Javascript for WordPress. I personally did a few customizations to my site but on the next redesign I would probably hire a professional coder.

What advice would you give to those thinking about starting their own site?

Don’t be afraid to just get started. You don’t have to know everything when you are first starting out and you won’t know everything. If you don’t like the name of your site you can always change it. More than once. I started out as Financial Success for Young Adults then moved to Young Adult Finances and now my happy home is Young Finances. I think this is where we’ll stay.

How do you make money from your site? Where does most of your revenue come from?

My site generates revenue primarily through affiliate marketing. When I first started, I sold text links and sponsored posts but I decided to focus on more stable revenue. If you’re like me and interested to see income reports, I share the income that comes from my web properties each month at TravelTish.com. Mostly I learn about the best financial tools and I test them out for myself before recommending them to my audience.

What do you think you’ve learned from your readers and fans?

I’ve learned not to be so scared. I used to be really scared about putting personal information out there and sharing my money mishaps. But once I starting sharing, more people (and even close friends!) started reaching out to share their stories about money. It makes me sad that personal finance is such a taboo subject because I think that we could all learn a lot from the mistakes and successes of others.

LaTisha’s workspace where she films YouTube videos

How can somebody in lower incomes best overcome financial hurdles and prosper?

I can only speak from my own experience here. I come from a low-income family and I was determined to set the bar high for myself. I was fortunate that my parents made school a priority and taught me smart study habits. I decided to learn about how money works and how banks and businesses make money. Learning the system is the best way to beat it.

Wherever you are starting, you can do it. I always imagined that someone held me back at the starting line of my financial life, but I just had to exert that much more effort to win and achieve my own financial success. And I’m still gunning for first place.

I had to be willing to be different. Turn off the TV, start reading about successful people, figure out the formula. It will take time but you can do it. And look for role models and mentors. Tell them about your goals.

“When you really want something to happen, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it.”

Who are your financial role models?

I admire the stories of ‘regular people’ as my financial role models. People who started with nothing and worked hard. Author J.K. Rowling who worked day and night on a book that helped pull her out of poverty and rapper B.o.B. who came from humble beginnings in Decatur, GA and played no name venues as he gained his fan base. I really admire that strong work ethic that unites successful people.

What personal finance sites do you read?

As a personal finance blogger, I like to read the sites that are very different. RomeoJeremiah.com has interesting posts about life and personal finance. I really enjoy reading AffordAnything.com. Paula really appeals to the rebel in me. I discover new blogs everyday but these are two that I come back to often.